1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastening apparatus and more particularly to a fastening apparatus adapted for use in a wide variety of operational environments and operable to achieve a rapid and dependable interconnection of a pair of work objects while simultaneously affording the capability for fine adjustment of the work objects relative to each other, the fastening apparatus having particular utility in the closing and sealing of the main doors of vending machines and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many situations in which a pair of work objects must be dependably and precisely secured relative to each other and where the speed with which this can be achieved is of operational significance. One such environment in which these observations apply is in the case of the stocking and servicing of vending machines and the like.
Vending machines, by their very nature, must be locked to prevent unauthorized entry and, where the vendable contents are refrigerated, must be sealed to insure that the desired refrigerated environment can be maintained. Thus, in the case of machines for vending soft drinks in metal containers and/or plastic or glass bottles, the main closure or door on the vending machine must be sealed and locked during normal use.
There are, of course, times when the interior compartment of a vending machine must be accessed by authorized personnel. The closure must be opened to check and, as necessary, to replenish the contents of each column of vendables within the vending machine. The money paid into the machine must periodically be collected. The change mechanism within the machine may need to be serviced. The machine may need to be opened if it becomes jammed, or the machine may simply need to be serviced.
Common practice in the operation of vending machines calls for them to be restocked and the income collected from the coin boxes thereof at relatively frequent intervals. The length of the interval depends upon the commercial history of the particular machine involved. In any case, the personnel authorized to open such vending machines are typically on tight schedules servicing a great number of vending machines at widely dispersed locations. Accordingly, such personnel are often disinclined to pay close attention to details not specifically required by their primary responsibilities in servicing the vending machines.
In their hurry to finish with one vending machine and move on to the next, proper attention is often not paid to insuring that the main door of the vending machine is fully closed and sealed. Where a proper seal of the door is not achieved, the necessary refrigerated environment may be difficult or impossible to maintain. External heat may enter the interior of the vending machine at a rate which may require the refrigeration unit to run inordinate periods of time causing wear to the unit and wasting electrical energy. Improper sealing allows warm air to enter and form moisture by condensation which eventually finds its way to the evaporator coil of the refrigeration system. This may cause the coil to be clogged by ice as excessive water collects, thus blocking air flow. This prevents cooling of vendables in the machine. In other instances, it may be impossible for the refrigeration unit to maintain the desired temperature. In such instances the vendables may not be sufficiently cold to be appealing to customers leading to a loss of sales. In the most aggravated cases, of course, certain vendables may be damaged by a lack of adequate refrigeration.
The likelihood that a proper seal will not be achieved is increased by the fact that in order to accomplish a proper seal, the securing mechanism must be rotated a substantial number of times. Such securing mechanisms conventionally employed consist of a screw threaded bolt which is threaded into an internally screw threaded nut or the like. Because the sealing material itself is typically a rather substantial rib of synthetic rubber material running entirely around the opening which the door covers, considerable force must be applied in compressing the rib to the degree necessary to accomplish the desired seal. This can, as a practical matter, be best achieved through the mechanical advantage obtained through the use of a screw threaded bolt. The bolt, thus, must be turned in a number of complete revolutions to achieve the proper compression and seal. The bolt type lock system has also been shown to provide a high degree of security against vandalism and break in. Yet it is simple and of relatively low cost compared to other locking systems known to the art.
As a consequence, servicing personnel frequently turn the securing bolt only the number of turns necessary to place the rib of the door in contact with the housing of the vending machine and not the additional number of rotations required to compress the rib enough to achieve the optimum seal. The unsatisfactory consequences of this failure previously set forth are too often the result.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have a fastening apparatus having application to the rapid and dependable interconnection of work objects of a variety of types having particular utility in the closing and sealing of the main doors of vending machines and the like which affords the mechanical advantage necessary to achieve the optimum seal, but which can be operated in a small fraction of the time and with a small fraction of the amount of effort required by conventional fastening mechanism; which assists in assuring that the doors of vending machines when closed are sealed in the optimum manner; which minimizes the amount of waste of electrical energy, wear of equipment and damage or inadequate refrigeration of vendables attendant to conventional operations; and which is durable, dependable and fully capable of operating as otherwise required.